The UCR Podcast

The profile of INXS had been climbing steadily throughout the early part of the '80s. As they released 1985's Listen Like Thieves, things were about to head in a nuclear direction. Guitarist and cofounder Tim Farriss chats with Matt to talk about the Australian band's life leading up to Listen Like Thieves and how important that album was leading into 1987's KIck. Listen Like Thieves has been newl...

Adam and Matt discuss concert bootlegs, the AOL message boards in the '90s and how that strengthened his relationship with Counting Crows fans. He also shares the story behind the group's newest album, Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets! Plus, stories about how they got to know Robbie Robertson of the Band and the important advice he had for them.

On the day that Bad Company's Rock Hall induction was announced, Matt spoke with Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bad Company's Simon Kirke. Johnny shared his memories of not only touring with the band, but also, seeing Bad Company as a young music fan in the '70s. He also tells UCR about Lynyrd Skynyrd's upcoming live album and their plans for this year. In our conversation with Simon, he sh...

Bob Seger turned 80 earlier this week. Gary Graff has been covering Seger's career from Detroit for over four decades. He joins Matt to talk about some of the important milestones, including the Stranger in Town album, which was released this month in 1978. They also discuss Bob's early catalog and whether or not fans might someday be able to get reissues of those records -- and hopefully, some of...

When Pink Floyd released A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987, it was the first step in proving the rock legends could exist without Roger Waters. Paul Rappaport worked with both the band and separately, Waters, in that time period. It's just one of the many moments in his legendary career at Columbia Records that found him representing titans like Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Journey, Bruce Spri...

Sammy Hagar tells Matt about his new single, "Encore, Thank You, Goodnight" and why he won't be doing a farewell tour. They also discuss dreams, aliens and what fans can expect from his Best of All Worlds residency in Las Vegas which begins April 30.

Steven Wilson, world-renowned producer, remixer, originator and songwriter, joins Matt to discuss his new album, The Overview. They also dig into the work that he did helping to remix and restore the audio for the 2025 theatrical version of Pink Floyd at Pompeii, which begins screening this week.

Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult joins Matt for an entertaining look back at some colorful moments from the band's history, including their experience playing with Kiss and the ill-fated Black and Blue tour with Black Sabbath. He also shares what it was like revisiting the group's first three albums for their 50th anniversary and whether we might hear further new music on the heels of 2024's Ghost...

If you ever felt like the music of Raspberries deserved more appreciation, the good news is that you're not alone. The better news is that they've finally gotten the respect that they deserve and then some. Author Ken Sharp joins Matt to discuss his new book, Overnight Sensation: The Story of Raspberries. Together, they dig into some of the fascinating stories about the history of the power pop le...

Mark Wilson and Nic Cester of Jet join Matt to look back at their 2003 album Get Born, which is being celebrated this week with a special Record Store Day release of rarities and b-sides. They dig through stories behind the making of the record, opening for the Rolling Stones, Nic's audition for AC/DC and more!

The legendary wizard and true star, Todd Rundgren, is with Matt for our latest podcast. Todd tells us about the current tour. What the World Needs Now: The Burt Bacharach Songbook. He discusses how Bacharach impacted his own songwriting. He digs into other topics as well, including working with Bob Dylan's manager, Albert Grossman and his experience collaborating with Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman on...

What happens when a band starts to find an audience with multiple generations of music fans? Amy Lee talks about that with Matt, while detailing her experience covering Led Zeppelin and working with classic rock heavyweight Steve Lillywhite. But there's also new Evanescence music to talk about. Amy shares the story of how their newest song, "Afterlife," was created.

Motley Crue guitarist John 5 joins Matthew Wilkening and Matt Wardlaw to talk about his lifelong love of all things Kiss. Fans will have an opportunity to see his collection of over 2,500 items starting in May as he opens his Knights in Satan's Service museum to the public. He previews what fans can expect and also shares some Motley Crue stories.

Kansas vocalist Ronnie Platt joins Matt to share the story behind his recent battle with thyroid cancer. We also discuss several musical topics and this summer's upcoming tour dates with .38 Special.

Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith checks in with Matt to discuss the new Smith / Kotzen album. He also tells tales about his early days playing music and some of his influences. Plus, he shares his favorite Iron Maiden album cover and offers a look inside their songwriting process.

Kevin Shirley (Iron Maiden, Rush, Journey) joins Matt to discuss the incredible collaboration between Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes. The pair teamed up in 1999 to revisit Jimmy's past with Led Zeppelin and thankfully, Kevin was there to record some of their performances, though as he tells us, it wasn't easy. Live at the Greek: Excess All Areas was recently expanded with 16 previously unreleased...

Legendary Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson is back with Stygian Wavs, the second album from his band Envy of None. He joins UCR to take us behind the scenes of the creation of Stygian Wavs. Plus, we discuss his '90s work with Victor, the shoegaze genre, playing guitar solos and of course, there's some Rush talk as well.

Drummer Jason Bonham joins Matt to share why Physical Graffiti is his favorite Led Zeppelin album. He details the role that his father, late Zeppelin drum legend John Bonham, played in the creation of the album and he also shares how he's planning to approach performing the whole record with his band. Jason covers numerous subjects in today's conversation including his experience working with Phil...

Billy Idol joins Matt to share the exciting news about his forthcoming album, Dream Into It, which will be released on April 25. He also talks about his overall history with concept albums including 1993's Cyberpunk and looks back on his early days in America.

It's been a classic rock favorite for decades, but it also became known as the unofficial theme throughout the 15 seasons of the television show Supernatural and was featured on the contemporary western crime Walker. It's even been used by the AEW wrestling team, the Elite -- and maybe you've heard the parody on Instagram of what it could sound like if "Cartman" from South Park was singing the lea...

John McDermott has been the guy overseeing the Jimi Hendrix catalog archives for more than three decades now. He joins Matt to talk about some of the recent archive releases and also, this year's Experience Hendrix tour. They also discuss the amazing all-star tribute to Jimi's music, 1993's Stone Free and John's adventures working on the album, which featured Eric Clapton and the members of Chic,...

Rick joins Matt to discuss his career and a number of topics, including a new version of "Jessie's Girl." The track is part of a brand new compilation, Big Hits: Rick Springfield's Greatest Hits, Volume 2. Rick delves into the history behind the song and also looks back at the incredible chapter of work that's being documented by the Big Hits release. Rick's longtime photographer Jay Gilbert also...

Guitarist John Petrucci joins Matt to discuss their four decades as a group and how they are embracing that legacy with their newest album, Parasomnia. He takes us behind the scenes to talk about how the new record came together and a number of other topics.

Joe Satriani stops by to chat with Matt about an idea he had for Eddie Van Halen. He discusses the 1996 birth of the groundbreaking G3 tour nearly 30 years later and shares memories of some of his early touring experiences that led up to G3. He also tells us why Joe Walsh is a special guitar player.

Steve Vai joins Matt for a conversation regarding his ongoing participation in Beat, the touring all-star '80s King Crimson celebration with Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Danny Carey. He digs into numerous other topics including his experience jamming with Chicago. He also offers an update on the album he's working on with Joe Satriani, while discussing last year's G3 Reunion which led to their cur...